Career Cluster Challenge

Learning Outcomes

In this lesson, students will use a team game to test their understanding of the 16 state career clusters. Competing teams of students will match careers with clusters and vice versa.

Grade Levels

This lesson is designed for grades 9-12.

Content Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Master the categorization of careers according to function-based clusters
  • Link careers to specific clusters according to characteristics shared between careers in that cluster

Teacher Planning

This lesson requires one 45-minute class period.

Lesson Details

Guiding Question

  • Which common characteristics are used to divide careers into the sixteen clusters?

Vocabulary

  • Career Cluster: A type of category developed by the government to classify careers according to what each career does. All careers can be categorized according to 16 clusters.

Instructions

  1. Create a 20-30 question list made up of two question types. In Cluster identification questions, you name a career and challenge each group of students to write down the cluster to which the career most belongs. In career matching questions, you name a cluster and challenge students to come up with a career (that has not already been used) that belongs to the cluster. Keep track of each group’s score on the board or on paper.
  2. Have the class divide into 4-5 equally sized groups. One member of each group will be a recorder, tasked with writing down the group’s answers after each round of questions.
  3. You will write 5 careers or clusters on the board and wait for the groups to write down the corresponding cluster (for each career you wrote on the board) or careers (for each cluster you wrote on the board).
  4. The first group to answer all of the questions in that round should shout "Done!" or something similar. All groups put their pens down. The group that called “Done!” must show you their written answers immediately. If the group that called “Done!” has answered all questions correctly, that group gains a point for each correct answer and two points for answering first. If that group answered one or more questions incorrectly, or did not have all five answers recorded, the group loses 1 point for finishing first and getting something wrong. After the penalty, the group receives one point for each correct answer. This introduces some pressure into the game. Every group wants to finish the round of questions first in order to gain the extra points, but if they rush and give incorrect answers, they will lose points for that round.
  5. Check the answers that the other groups have written down. These groups may not have all five answers written down, but they suffer no penalty for blanks or incorrect answers. These other groups receive one point for each correct answer.
  6. Ask further rounds of questions until there are ten minutes or so left in the class period. Tally the total scores and declare a winner.

Scoring Recap

The first group to declare that it has all the answers written down:

  • -2 points if they have any blanks or incorrect answers. The 2 points are only deducted once per round. If a team claims that it has all the answers and has no correct answers, for example, it still only loses 2 points.
  • +1 point for each correct answer.

The other groups:

  • No penalty for incorrect answers and blanks.
  • +1 point for each correct answer.

Assessment

Students who exceed the lesson objectives will:

  • Participate actively in the game; leading their teammates, recording answers for their team, or brainstorming answers
  • Playing competitively, but with a sportsmanlike attitude

Students who meet the lesson objectives will:

  • Sometimes participate in the game
  • Play because they’re expected to

Students who do not meet the lesson objectives will:

  • Avoid participation in the game
  • Play with unsportsmanlike gamesmanship; disrupt the game

Wrap-Up Activities

  • Set up a tournament and award prizes for victory
  • Introduce more difficult and focused questions based on the duties, salaries, and education requirements of different careers
  • Gear questions toward careers related to the class subject area (English Professor, Engineer for Math, etc.)